Hard work and fair prices make up the right mix

IF it is a day ending in Y, you will find Katie and Sean Durkin working in and on their business.

"We're young and we don't have any kids," Katie laughs.

"We just put everything into it. Between ourselves and our staff, we have a commitment to work every day of the week."

That dedication has paid off in spades, with their Open House furniture and homeware stores recording their most successful trading weeks ever in November. The duo opened their Plaza Pde, Maroochydore outlet a year ago and another in Noosa three months ago, selling a range of hardwood furniture, mirrors, paintings, water features, statues and decor.

It was a retail extension of the business's wholesale arm, LS Comms Sourcing Pty Ltd, that they had been operating for five years.

That wholesale division supplies 300 independent retail outlets on the east coast of Australia and has warehouses in Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast, with containers arriving every week.

"A few weeks back was our best week and it looks as though this week will be too," Katie said, of the Open House stores. "People are getting a lot of custom-made furniture and all the orders are coming in. And we are very unique in that we can make individual, made-to-measure, one-off pieces or sets of furniture for customers at an affordable price and quickly.

"It's boomed. We're clearly doing something right."

The furniture is sourced from Indonesia by the business's co-owner Alan McNeish.

"We only buy from the person making it (in Yogyakarta) and the supplier of our core mangowood range works exclusively with us. He doesn't import to anyone else in Australia, so we can do full custom-made orders with a beautiful high-quality finish at a great price.

"That is our point of difference and it means our prices are so good because there is no middle man. You are getting it straight from the factory where it is made."

She said the key to doing well in tough times was being reasonable with pricing and delivering outstanding customer service.

"We're not greedy (on pricing) and we are very intimate with our customers. We sit down and draw up a plan with them for a real one-on-one interaction.

"I think it also helps that the owners work in the business. No one else cares as much as the owner."

She said the business was not totally bulletproof, suffering some ups and downs in the past year.

"Definitely rent is a killer. The overheads are so huge and I hear that from a lot of people," she said.

The Durkins are keen on expanding further in the future.

"I would like to expand into kitchen and become a real powerhouse in furniture, homewares and kitchenware," she said.

"The retail side of our business is the most exciting at the moment as it is doing so well. I just hope it continues."

Secrets of our Success

Established: 2011 (Sunshine Coast)

Staff: Three

Secrets: High-quality product at a good price, commitment to work every day of the week, change and keeping stock moving